When people find out I work in energy conservation they often ask if there’s any hope we can solve our energy problems. My response:
The bad news is that we waste an awful lot of energy — at enormous cost to our health, the environment, the economy, as well as future generations.
The good news…we waste an awful lot of energy — which represents an enormous opportunity to reduce our environmental impact and to rebuild our economy into a vibrant sustainable one.
Intuitively I know that there is a lot of energy to be ‘made’ via efficiency and conservation, but I’ve always wanted proof of the cost effectiveness of efficiency compared to producing energy via ANY means, and how far the balance would tip towards renewables IF we accounted for those nasty side effects economists like to call “externalities” — like increased health costs, damage to the environment, military costs, etc.
I also like having thoughtful discussions with people about important topics. That’s why I am so pleased to introduce our Friday, July 15th keynote speaker at SolarFest: Dr. Peter O’Connor, a Kendall Science Fellow from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
More good news: Maeve McBride and Gideon Mensah-Commey from 350VT will offer the keynote address, “Hope Changes: Responding to a Rapidly Warming World” at SolarFest on Saturday, July 16th.
That’s right – SolarFest is this coming Friday (7/15) and Saturday (7/16)
in Manchester, Vermont
Don’t wait – it would be bad news if you missed this. Get your ticket and reserve your camping space now.
Dave Conna, SolarFest Board Trustee
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